Form-block for box-covering machines.



- UNiTEn STATES PATENT. onirica. y

HARRY B. SMITH, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AND JAMES D. REIFSNYDER, OF PHILA- DELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO STOKES @c SMITH COMPANY, O F SUMMER- DALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA. v

FORM-BLOCK FOR BOX-COVERING MACHINES.

Application led January 13 1915. Serial No. 2,043.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, HARRY'B. SMITH and JAMES D. fR-EirsNYDER, citizens of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, county of lngs, State of New York, andV Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, respectively, have invented new and useful Improvements in Form- Blocks for Box- Covering Machines, of which the following is a specification. f

The present invention relates in a general way to box covering machines of the type wherein a one-piece covering blank is ap# plied and'axed to the bottom, side and end walls of a paper box shell, and more particularly the invention has to do with an improved construction of form block for use in connection with machines of the general type illustrated and described in Letters Patent No."691,329, dated January 14, 1902, and No. 744,122, dated November 17, 1903.

Box covering or wrapping machines of this general type usually include a two-.part form block, and a coperating platen :arranged to support and carry the b ox shell and, its cover or wrapper past thefcovering instru'n'ientalities which usually 'comprise rollers or brushes orapplying the side 'and end lwings oit' the blank' or wrapper to the sides and ends of the box, andpast-what are known as edge tuck-in lingers for turning the marginal edges of the lcovering blank over the upper edges of the box-shell,

preparatory to tucking the said marginal edges down onto and aiiixing them to the inner Vfaces of the walls of the box. This operation of tucking down and aiixing the marginal` elges is usually accomplished by the upper part of the two-part form block after the cover paper or wrapper has been ,applied to the sides and ends of the box. In performs ing this operation, the two form block parts are held separated while the edge tuck-in fin# gers push the marginal edges of the wrapper or cover over the upper edges of the box, and the upper part of the two-part `form block is then allowed to move down into the box,

carrying with it the turned in marginal edges of the cover paper.' After this opera-` tion has been performed, presser blocks iinf speciiieation of Letters Patent. Patented' Aug. 6,1918.

part a pressure upon the outer walls of the A box adjacent to the marginal edges so as to iirnily aiiixthe nturned portions of the cover or wrapper to the inner walls of the box.

Machines ofrthis typeare usually made Y adjustable in order to provide for the manufacture thereon of boxes of different sizes, that is to say, different in width, length and depth, and said machines as heretofore constructedhave Iusually been provided4 with solid form blocks. This being true, it is obvious that for eachsize of box manufactured on the machine, form blocks having a corresponding size must be provided.

j According to the present invention, we provide a two-part form block in which the upper part or upper blockis relatively'thin or shallow, and is made adjustable both laterally and longitudinally .to accommodate boxes of different sizes.

InaSmuch as the prime function of the upper form blockpart is to 4turn down the marginal edges of the wrapper or cover while the major portion of the boxv is being supported upon ythe other form block part, and between it and the platen, it is essential that this adjustable form block part shall have a substantially continuous tucking-in edge around the lower vmarginal portion thereof and substantially continuous sides l with -no projecting portions because of the pressure imparted to the box walls by the pressure blocks.

" A principal object of the-invention is to produce a two-part form block such as re- ,Y y

ferred to above, in which the upper block which turns in the projecting edges of the box cover may be readily adapted to operate upon boxes of diii'erent dimensions, but

which will always present at the edge of the block whichr contacts withy the cover, a continuous edge extending in such a way that the bending force exerted upon the cover lis exerted `continuously and simul taneously throughout the entire length of combined with edge tuck-in fingers, the upper part of the formblock being laterally and longitudinally adjustable and having a substantially continuous turning in marginal edge on the under side thereof and separate means for supporting and operatingthe two 'form block parts in order that they may be separated at the proper time to permit the operation` of the edge turn-in ngers. i

Afurther object of the invention is to 'provide a very simple construction for a two-part form block enablingit to be readily adapted for operating upon boxes of any depth or :horizontal dimensions within certain limit-s.

A further object of the invention Lis to provide yielding means 'on the block enabling the clamping bolt to secure all the parts simultaneously; that is, all the parts which itclamps.

'Further objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists in the general combination of parts and simplicity of details hereinafter described, all of Which contribute to 'produce eliicient box covering devices. p

A preferred embodiment of our invention will be particularly described inthe following speciiication` while the `broad scope of our invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is aside elevation of a form Vblock and indicating a box in cross-section in process of havin the marginal edges of the cover folded over the upper edges of thc sidewalls of the box7 vpreparatory to having the upper .part of the form block descend to cause the same to adhere to the inner face of the box wall. 1n this view certain parts arevrepresented as broken away.

Fig. 2 is aperspective showing the upper part of the form block disconnected vand shown partly broken away and in section to further illustrate details of itsconstruction.

Fig. 3 is a perspective showingone of the corner sections of the upper block detached from the other parts. y

n Fig. 4 is a perspective showing a part of the device in detail. y n Fig. 5 is'a plan showing the upper form block in its smallest or most collapsed condition o'rresponding` to thesmallest box which canl'be covered with this form blot-,lr

x Fig. G is a vertical section taken about on the line'G-G of Fig. 2.

Referring more particu]arlyA to the parts, and particularly to Fig. 1, in which we show a two-part form block; this form block comprises an'up-per block 10 and a lower block 11. These blocks during part of the operation of the machine are together, that is, the

Hand this rod 1G passes downwardly through the upper block 10. The positionfof the upper block 10 may be controlled in any suitable ina'nner, as 'for instance, by two small stems or rods 18 which attach to the upper plate 19 carrying the upper block. A11-"the stage of the operation shown in Fig. 1, the upper block 10, has risen slightly above'the upper v'edge offthe side `walls of the box, and

at this time, 'tuck-in lingers 2O are movedv inwa'rdly by vautomatic mechanism so lthat their inner 'ends engage ,thel upwardlyprojecting marginal edgesQ'l of the box cover and turn thesame inwardly into a nearly horizontal position; the cover vwill have been previously smeared with an adhesivo. The upper block 10 then descends and remains in the box; vand 'then its lower edge as it descendsy engages the A.projecting edges 21 so as to fold the same downwardly about the upper edges of the box. Presser blocks 2O1 then move inwardly and press the outer side of the box, toforce the tucked in edge against the inner faces of thevwalls yof lthe box and cause these edges to adhere thereto in a well understood manner.. The upper and lower blocks arethen withdrawn from the lbox Vand the operationof covering the box is then complete.

Y If it is desired to apply a cover to a box ofdifferent depth, it is only necessary to substitute for the block `11 a block having the required depth. `These blocks 11 are preferably of fixed dimensions and are there- Y forepreferably formed of wood or similar inexpensive material, and there is ablock provided corresponding to each depth of box which is to be covered.

The upper block l10 however, is adapted to cooperate with blocks of different horizontal dimensions orsizes and for this purpose, theupper block is preferably made exfpan'sible from the smallest size to the largest sizes. In expanding the upper block to adapt it to the larger sizes a difliculty occurs from `the fact that in expanding the block there is a tendency to form a non-continuous folding edge at the lower portion of the upper block so that the marginaledge of the cover to be turned in would not be en gaged at all points. Where this occurs, it usually results that the turned in edge does not fold neatly against the inner face of the wall of the box and there is a tendency to pucker or crease the cover where thev edge of the block becomesinonecontinuous. Furfy thermore, if pressure is applied to the exterior of the box, while the upper block is in place, in order to insure a close adhesion of the turned in edge,V there is a tendency `to emboss the wall of the box or its covering at the points where the edge of the upper blsock is non-continuous. v

In order to overcome this defect and to produce a form block with a continuous edge cooperating with the Vlower form block 11, we prefer to Construct the upper form block l() of'a plural-ity of corner sections A, B, C, and D,`which are four in'number and vof very similar' construction. These corner sections are of angular form comprising extensions or legs which projectvparallel with the longitudinal axisof the block and other extensions or legs ,which project parallel with the transverse axis of the block. The two corner sections A and B are preferably formed respectively with slots a and b. These slots lie transversely ofthe block and aline witheach other and at the points where these slots are formed, the legs a ando" of l the corner sections A and B voverlap each other and are provided with abutting guide faces 22. kAt these abuttingfaces 22, channels or grooves a2 and b2 areformed in'rthe legs a and 5"to receive artongue zwhich its neatly in the alining grooves. (See Figo.) This tongue 23 `is held in place by a through-bolt 24 the head of which seats on the aforesaid plate 19;*the shank of the f bolt'passes through a slot 25 which extends longitudinally 'of this plate. The shank of this bolt extends downwardly and the lower end vreceives a nut 26l which has a boss with atside faces 27 to hold-ther'nut when 'tighter'iingV the bolt. "Evidentlywthe sections A and lBinay be pulled apart so as to .widen the block 10, 'and when'being separatedin this "way, they willtbe `guided upon each other; by clamping up the'bolt 24,7evidently they'may be clamped inany desired relation'.y These corner sections present straight or yflat side faces 28 which'aline with eachother', thatis, they are liush with each otherin a vertical plane, and aline with the side faces of the lower block with which the upper block is employed. These faces terminate at vertical edges 29 which come together or abut when the form block is in its most contracteilor collapsed condition.

TWe'provide means for forming a continuous edge'vbetween the vertices of the block, andbyway of example we shall describe the manner of doingfthis between the vertex a3 of the corner section A: and the vertex b3v of the corner B. For this purpose,v we prefer to provide alining means; preferablyin the form yof a iller or plate-30 and we provide agnumber of these fillers corresponding to 'the different widths desired for theform -spalce which is fillers fit into the gap or formed ,between the edges 29 when'the block'is expanded. i These llers or 'plates 30 have plane faces which lie flush with the faces 28 of the corner sections and in the same vertical plane therewith. Furthermore, the lower' `edges of these fillers aline with the lower edges 31 of the side faces 28. Y

These fillers are preferably arrangedto be clamped by the same means that clamps the corner; sections together.y For this purpose we prefer to'make apart of the block yielding on compressible. The fillers may be held in place by means of rabbet grooves or shoulders 32 on theoverlappingextensions aand b of the corner sections, and we provide the inner face of the `I`filler 30 with a tongue 33 which projects into these grooves in vsuch a` way that when the corner sections are clamped together by means of the bolt 24E, the plate will be held securely in position. lIt is understood ofcourse, that when the filler is in position in this way, its ends abut against'the edges 29. We prefer to make these fillers the yielding part, and

block, and these therefore form these fillerpieces ofa slightly compressible materialsuch as wood.

The connection between thefcorner sections B and C is preferably'substantially similar to that just described for connecting the corner sections A and B', except that there is only one slot employed tolpermit the longitudinal extension of the bl0ck,"which is-the slot c illustratedV most clearly in Fig. 2. However, the corner section C has an extension or leg c which -projects over. and slides along a corresponding extension-or leg b4 on the :corner section B. The adjacentfaces of the legs c and'lfhave elongated g-rooves @2f and 65 in which there is heldV a nicely fitted tongue34; this tongue is heldin place by -afclamping boltV 35 which passes down` through the slot c, thelower end of said bolt being threaded in a boss such as the boss 36 'shown' in Fig. 6. Evidently the tongue 34 will guide Athe leg c longitudinally` on the leg bf* and maintain perfect alinement of the' side face c3 with the side face o6 ofthe cornen section B. In `the gap 37 formed between the vertical edges 38 weprovide a filler or plate similar -to the liller 30 and heldin place in the Vsame manner, that is, by means of rabbet grooves in the legs ofthe corner sections. 1

On the opposite side of the block 10 lthere is a clamping bolt 40 similar to the'bolt 35 and performing the same function. `The other parts at this point, as illustrated, are substantial duplicates of those with which the bolt35 cooperates ito permit the Iexten-V sion andela'mpi'ng of the' corner sections in their extended relation. These parts include aslot atztliroughfwhich'thebolt passes.

39 formed At the end of the block opposite the bolt 24, a clamping bolt 41 is provided passing through a'slot 42 similar to the slot 25 and having the same functions, Cooperating with this .bolt 41, the corner sections C and D have parts, as illustrated, corresponding to and duplicating those described in connection with the corner sections A and B, and including slots c'L and (Z.

From this arrangement it will be evident that the block may be extended on all sides and when extended, the side faces of the block are maintained in alinement in a vertical plane, and when the block is clamped in its expanded or extended relation, the corner sections will have been moved to` a more distant relation with respect to each other, in which they can be held fixed. When the length of the block is reduced as greatly as possible, of course, the bolts 24 and 41 occupy the inner ends of their corresponding slots 25 and 42.

The lower edges 31 of the side faces of the corner sections A, B, C and D are preferably slightly vbeveled and the members or filler means 30 lare preferably formed with a similar beveled lower edge 43 so that the block when enlarged, presents not only continuous side faces extending between the vertices of the corner sections, but it also presents continuous lower edges lying in the same horizontal plane and extending continuously around the periphery of the block.

In order to make the corner pieces as light as possible, we prefer to construct them substantially in the way illustrated in Fig. 3, with openings 44 in the corners. The stem 16 which supports the lower block 11 passes freely through an opening 45 in the plate 19. In order to attach the two stems 18 for raising and lowering the upper block, we prefer to provide threaded openings 46 in the pla-te 19 and these openings are preferably arranged in diagonal relation with respect to theblock.

One of the advantages arising from formm ing the fillers 30 with a part of slightly yielding or compressible material, is that when the clamping bolts 24, 35, 40 and 41 are tightened up, to clamp the corner sec- I tions together, they will compress fthe tongues 33 on lthe fillers and hold the fillers in place. If these fillers were formed of Aless compressiblematerial such as metal, a

very accurate fit would be necessary in order to enable them to be clamped securely by the same bolts that clamp the corner sections together, because if the tongues 33 weretoo wide they would tend to prevent the bearing faces 22 of the corner sections seating together properly; and if the tongues 33 were too narrow the fillers would not be securely held in place.

Inssecuring theiyiel-ding eect for clamping the parts of the block together, we do not limit ourselves to the particular construe* tion set forth.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein-is only one of the many embodiments or forms the invention may take, and we do not Wish to be limited in the practice of our invention nor in vour claims to the particular embodiment set forth.

What we claim is :f-

1. An expansible'form block for a box covering machine comprising four corner sections with flat side faces having lower, inwardly beveled, marginal edges, means for guiding said corner sections so as to -maintain the outer faces thereof in alinement with each other respectively whereby said corner sections may be moved away from each other to assume a more distant relation with gaps between the corner sections, and independent removable filler plates received in said gaps, said filler plates having flat faces of the samel depth as the outer side Vfaces of the corner sections and also having lower beveled marginal edges alining with ythe lower .beveled ymarginal edges of the corner sections.

2. An expansible form blockk for a box covering machine comprising four corner sections with outer faces adapted to aline respectively and adapted to fit into the corners of va box which is being covered, said corner sections being movable away from each other to assume a more distant relation and to form an enlarged block, alining removable filler .plates having faces alining in a verticalplane fiush with the outer faces of the corner sections and coperating ,therewith to form substantially continuous side faces of the block and extending between the vertices of said corner sections, and clamping means for clamping said corner sections together and simultaneously clamping the filler .plates in position, said filler plates having tongues projecting into grooves formed in the corner sections;

3. An expansible form block for a box covering machine comprising corner sections with fiat outer side faces to fit into the corners of a box which is being covered,'the lower marginaledgesof said corner sections being inwardly beveled, means for guiding said corner sections so as to maintain the outer faces thereof in alinement with each other respectively and enabling said corner sections to be moved away from each other to assume a more distant relation with gaps between the corner sections, `removable fillers received in said gaps having fiat, vertical faces ofthe same depth as the fiat, outer side faces of the corner sections and alining with such outer faces of the corner sections and having lower, inwardly beveledmarginaledges aliningwith the inwardly :beveled marginal edges of the corner sections, said set our hands in presence of two `subscriloing ller plates also having parts of compressible witnesses.

material received between said clamping HARRY B. SMITH. shoulders, and means Jfor `clamping said JAMES D. REIFSNYDER. 5 corner sections together and simultaneously Witnesses:

clamping said fillers therebetween. CARL E. SCHAEFFER,

In testimony whereof we have hereunto SILAS E. CHILD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente, Washington, D. C. 

